The article examines the safety implications of the latest dynamic route guidance and realtime traffic data systems, and draws on experiences and data from the Stuttgart and Berlin trials of beacon-based traffic services. A table shows the state of the art and possible future extension of eight new route guidance and traffic information services; such systems are progressing rapidly. Safety enhancement effects include: (1) improved awareness of congestion and bad conditions; (2) earlier anticipation of hazards; (3) safer driving behaviour resulting from early warnings; (4) more safety for vulnerable road users; (5) less distraction from driving; and (6) less congestion. The Siemens Euro-Scout System was used for the two pilot projects. In addition, in Stuttgart, Dual Mode Route Guidance (DMRG) was combined with autonomous mode route guidance by the Bosch System Travel Pilot. For a quantitative analysis, safety effects were measured within a dynamic traffic description based on the frequency of critical situations. Design criteria for obtaining sustainable safety effects were formulated; they are becoming a key issue after the successful technical feasibility study. It was found worthwhile to examine the safety effects in detail.
Abstract